Sonata Arctica - Unia
Genre: Melodic Metal (sorry guys this is not power metal anymore)
Release date: May 24th, 2007
Rating: 8/10
Sonata Arctica took the world by storm with their debut album Ecliptica. Being hailed as the new flagcarriers for Power metal, they soon realised that that cheesy brand of metal was not their cup of tea and they quickly started adding other influences in their music (aside from the obvious Stratovarius), and turned to some old favourites such as Queen to infuse their music with less 200 bpm songs and more speed. The result is Unia, their most interesting and well-produced album to date.
Because my other review (at Sputnik) wasn't a tbt and I felt it rather sucked, I will go for the TBT here.
1. In Black And White
The opener already shows where Sonata have taken their musical direction. This is one of the most upbeat songs on the album, and it just comes nowhere near the speedy likes of Blank File, Misplaced or Wolf and Raven. It chugs more than it races along the cd lasers, but Tony Kakko is on such good form here. He really drives this song with his vocal lines. 8/10
2. Paid In Full
Blinded No More, Part 2. The amount of synth lines in this is astonishing, and it simply begs to be a Queen-goes-metal track, with incomprehensible vocal twists and turns, while remaining catchy at the same time. Tony still hasn't laid off the cheesy love-ridden lyrics though. Works very well as a single though, its catchy choruses and faux-aggressive guitar riff bursts drive this song to a frantic close. 8/10
3. For The Sake Of Revenge
Now we're getting somewhere. The previous two tracks were good, but still seemed somewhat underwhelming. This is another song that is low on tempo but heavy on atmosphere. The only annoying thing about this is the "bzzzzt bzzzzt" noises in the backgrounds, like a badly tuned tv. 9/10
4. It Won't Fade
Metallica at half speed meets Deep Purple and annoying Nintendo 64 sounds???? It chugs like a monster in the beginning, but then it goes into some kind of Mario Kart beep beep beep mode which is just really weird. It's also the wolf song. Well, I guess. Machinae Supremacy still does weird synth noises better. 6/10
5. Under Your Tree
I don't know what this is, but it definitely does not belong on a Sonata Arctica album. It has more sap dripping from it than a badly sliced orange, the lyrics have more cheese than France, Switzerland and the Netherlands combined and it just slugs along. 4/10
6. Caleb
Best song on the album. Continuing (or rather introducing) the story of the infamous stalker Caleb (refer to Don't Say a Word and The End of This Chapter for more details), this starts from quiet piano to grand choruses reminiscent of Queen and bits where it seems like the invasion of the Kakkos. Oh well, at least he knows how to do it. 9/10
7. The Vice
I have no idea what this is about, but the power-metal by numbers and catchy singing combination works for me. 8/10
8. My Dream Is But A Drop Of Fuel For A Nightmare
Aside from this song winning the Most Ludicrous Title of the Year award, it also wins the Queen Fanboyism award. The amount of vocal turns and melodies is sheer impossible to recreate, Bohemian Rhapsody is being given a run for its money and the synths completely dominate the song from beginning to end. If this is the future of Sonata Arctica, I want to be in it. 9/10
9. The Harvest
Should make it into the live set as this is an energetic, bombastic song with... a bouzouki in the middle somewhere? It works regardless. 9/10
10. To Create A Warlike Feel (bonus track)
Sonata Arctica by numbers. There is nothing interesting to see here, maybe that's why it's a bonus track? 6/10
11. The Worlds Forgotten, The Words Forbidden
This is apparently a song for a video game. Well, the weird noises all through it make that credible. Driven forth by Tony's incredible vocals. Funny how Tony seems to save every song on here... 8/10
12. Fly With The Black Swan
Wildfire, part deux. And it's just as good, if not better. The riffs crush skulls, the synths add succulent touches of melody and Tony is once AGAIN proving why he is one of the best singers in metal today. 9/10
13. Good Enough Is Good Enough
Ewww is all I have to say here. Don't even try to listen to this, you'll just need a bucket to puke in somewhere along the line. A completely HORRIBLE ballad. 2/10
SA are on top of their game at the moment, and this album proves that. Musically they are thinking one step forward, opting for more complex songwriting and insane vocal parts. The ballads on here just suck ass though. Skip those, and you'll have one of the most enjoyable listening experiences of the year. Recommended to any fan of the softer metal spectrum out there.
Genre: Melodic Metal (sorry guys this is not power metal anymore)
Release date: May 24th, 2007
Rating: 8/10
Sonata Arctica took the world by storm with their debut album Ecliptica. Being hailed as the new flagcarriers for Power metal, they soon realised that that cheesy brand of metal was not their cup of tea and they quickly started adding other influences in their music (aside from the obvious Stratovarius), and turned to some old favourites such as Queen to infuse their music with less 200 bpm songs and more speed. The result is Unia, their most interesting and well-produced album to date.
Because my other review (at Sputnik) wasn't a tbt and I felt it rather sucked, I will go for the TBT here.
1. In Black And White
The opener already shows where Sonata have taken their musical direction. This is one of the most upbeat songs on the album, and it just comes nowhere near the speedy likes of Blank File, Misplaced or Wolf and Raven. It chugs more than it races along the cd lasers, but Tony Kakko is on such good form here. He really drives this song with his vocal lines. 8/10
2. Paid In Full
Blinded No More, Part 2. The amount of synth lines in this is astonishing, and it simply begs to be a Queen-goes-metal track, with incomprehensible vocal twists and turns, while remaining catchy at the same time. Tony still hasn't laid off the cheesy love-ridden lyrics though. Works very well as a single though, its catchy choruses and faux-aggressive guitar riff bursts drive this song to a frantic close. 8/10
3. For The Sake Of Revenge
Now we're getting somewhere. The previous two tracks were good, but still seemed somewhat underwhelming. This is another song that is low on tempo but heavy on atmosphere. The only annoying thing about this is the "bzzzzt bzzzzt" noises in the backgrounds, like a badly tuned tv. 9/10
4. It Won't Fade
Metallica at half speed meets Deep Purple and annoying Nintendo 64 sounds???? It chugs like a monster in the beginning, but then it goes into some kind of Mario Kart beep beep beep mode which is just really weird. It's also the wolf song. Well, I guess. Machinae Supremacy still does weird synth noises better. 6/10
5. Under Your Tree
I don't know what this is, but it definitely does not belong on a Sonata Arctica album. It has more sap dripping from it than a badly sliced orange, the lyrics have more cheese than France, Switzerland and the Netherlands combined and it just slugs along. 4/10
6. Caleb
Best song on the album. Continuing (or rather introducing) the story of the infamous stalker Caleb (refer to Don't Say a Word and The End of This Chapter for more details), this starts from quiet piano to grand choruses reminiscent of Queen and bits where it seems like the invasion of the Kakkos. Oh well, at least he knows how to do it. 9/10
7. The Vice
I have no idea what this is about, but the power-metal by numbers and catchy singing combination works for me. 8/10
8. My Dream Is But A Drop Of Fuel For A Nightmare
Aside from this song winning the Most Ludicrous Title of the Year award, it also wins the Queen Fanboyism award. The amount of vocal turns and melodies is sheer impossible to recreate, Bohemian Rhapsody is being given a run for its money and the synths completely dominate the song from beginning to end. If this is the future of Sonata Arctica, I want to be in it. 9/10
9. The Harvest
Should make it into the live set as this is an energetic, bombastic song with... a bouzouki in the middle somewhere? It works regardless. 9/10
10. To Create A Warlike Feel (bonus track)
Sonata Arctica by numbers. There is nothing interesting to see here, maybe that's why it's a bonus track? 6/10
11. The Worlds Forgotten, The Words Forbidden
This is apparently a song for a video game. Well, the weird noises all through it make that credible. Driven forth by Tony's incredible vocals. Funny how Tony seems to save every song on here... 8/10
12. Fly With The Black Swan
Wildfire, part deux. And it's just as good, if not better. The riffs crush skulls, the synths add succulent touches of melody and Tony is once AGAIN proving why he is one of the best singers in metal today. 9/10
13. Good Enough Is Good Enough
Ewww is all I have to say here. Don't even try to listen to this, you'll just need a bucket to puke in somewhere along the line. A completely HORRIBLE ballad. 2/10
SA are on top of their game at the moment, and this album proves that. Musically they are thinking one step forward, opting for more complex songwriting and insane vocal parts. The ballads on here just suck ass though. Skip those, and you'll have one of the most enjoyable listening experiences of the year. Recommended to any fan of the softer metal spectrum out there.
